The past, present, and future of soils and human health studies

Abstract

Abstract. The idea that human health is tied to the soil is not a new one. As far back as circa 1400 BC the Bible depicts Moses as understanding that fertile soil was essential to the well-being of his people. In 400 BC the Greek philosopher Hippocrates provided a list of things that should be considered in a proper medical evaluation, including the properties of the local ground. By the late 1700s and early 1800s, American farmers had recognized that soil properties had some connection to human health. In the modern world, we recognize that soils have a distinct influence on human health. We recognize that soils influence (1) food availability and quality (food security), (2) human contact with various chemicals, and (3) human contact with various pathogens. Soils and human health studies include investigations into nutrient supply through the food chain and routes of exposure to chemicals and pathogens. However, making strong, scientific connections between soils and human health can be difficult. There are multiple variables to consider in the soil environment, meaning traditional scientific studies that seek to isolate and manipulate a single variable often do not provide meaningful data. The complete study of soils and human health also involves many different specialties such as soil scientists, toxicologists, medical professionals, anthropologists, etc. These groups do not traditionally work together on research projects, and do not always effectively communicate with one another. Climate change and how it will affect the soil environment/ecosystem going into the future is another variable affecting the relationship between soils and health. Future successes in soils and human health research will require effectively addressing difficult issues such as these.

Modeling soil cation exchange capacity in multiple countries

“…Soils are an important source of services (filtration of water, exchange of gases with the atmosphere, foundation material for construction) and resources (food, fiber, fuel, clay for construction, medications) for humans (Mol and Keesstra, 2012;Brevik and Sauer, 2015). Soils play a pivotal role in the Earth system to manage the hydrological, erosional, geochemical, and biological cycles (Smith et al, 2015;Willaarts et al, 2016) which makes sustainable soil management and conservation necessary to achieve a sustainable world (Keesstra et al, 2016).…”

Soil pH as a Phenotype Determinant in Humans: Proposing a Scientific Hypothesis

“…The people originating from the states of NE India are phenotypically different from other Indians. Moreover, people with an ancestral background/history associated with these states also possess the similar morphology [2]. We hypothesize that the facial features of the most of the human population with the NE Indian foundation or ancestral background are influenced by the soil constituency of that geographical area.…”

“…Besides, its role in the plants growth, soil impacts the life, including humans, to a greater extent. It acts as an indirect source of nutrition for humans as it ensures the supply of nutrients to humans through the plants and their products consumed by them [2].…”

Adsorption, desorption and fractionation of As(V) on untreated and mussel shell-treated granitic material

“…In the last years, numerous studies have indicated that restoration needs to recover soil functionality, and this call is taking place all over the world (Ahmad et al, 2013;Johnston et al, 2013;Mao et al, 2014;Moreno et al, 2014;Novara et al, 2014;Roy and McDonald, 2015;Sacristán et al, 2015;Sadeghi et al, 2015;Srivastava et al, 2014). Some authors indicate that this task should be accomplished with a broad view by considering how soils can interfere with human health (Brevik and Sauer, 2015).…”